


A Thing Called Good Intention

by alloftheseships



Series: Some Things Will Destroy Us [2]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), The Isle of the Lost Series - Melissa de la Cruz
Genre: Attempted World Building, Botched Parliamentary Procedure, Canon Rewrite, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, POV Ben (Disney: Descendants), Realistic Descendants
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 04:52:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15811746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alloftheseships/pseuds/alloftheseships
Summary: His heart was thudding in his ears, but not because he was nervous. He refused to think of what would happen if he failed. He couldn’t picture Mal’s face, how her eyes would tighten with unsurprised disappointment. He couldn’t think of what Evie would say, always comforting others even when she was in pain. He couldn’t think of Carlos, who always wore his emotions so boldly, who would not be able to hide how deeply hurt he was. He couldn’t think of Jay, who had so many reasons to run from the Isle, so many reasons to want the kids still there to be free.--------where Ben tries his best to fix his father's mistakes





	A Thing Called Good Intention

**Author's Note:**

> can be read as an epilogue or a direct companion of [Some Sign of Life](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14799629) or even as a standalone
> 
> Content warning: discusses child abuse/neglect, brief mentions of sexual assault

As the door of Eglise d Abella opened, a hush fell over the gathered crowd. Ben’s footsteps were loud against the glossy stone, even to his own ears. Time fell away as he made his way to the center of the church, passing nearly a hundred rows of rosewood pews as he headed towards the raised pulpit at the front of the church. His black shoes shone softly in the pale light and he determinedly focused his gaze on the structure instead of the eyes that were on him as he walked. It wasn’t hard to let his attention wander. Cream colored stone spread beneath his feet, ending flush against massive Corinthian style pillars that rose so high into the ceiling one had to crane their neck and back to see the top. The columns lined both of the sides of the church and were made of white quartz inlaid with thick veins of emerald, wrought gold ivy winding towards the ceiling before flowering in a glittering leafy crown atop each ornate monolith. The walls of the church, just as intricate, were bleached sandstone with 45-foot stained-glass windows at six foot intervals. The windows were trimmed by detailed stone carvings of plant life and animals, beautiful frames that had been in place for centuries.

The pulpit that was quickly growing closer was perhaps the crowning piece of Eglise d Abella, which was truly saying something. The entire thing was carved from huanghuali, a gift from the last Emperor of China before his passing. Huanghuali was an ancient, virtually extinct type of rosewood. Ben had the creeping suspicion that the construction of the pulpit in front of him had something to do with the rarity of the huanghuali tree. In total, the pulpit had to have been thirty feet tall, built to mimic the outside of the church with its stretched spires and tiny alcoves hiding detailed figures of saints. It had been gifted to Ben’s parents at their wedding as a token of respect and admiration.

Surrounded by such grandeur, Ben could almost fool himself into thinking that his world was perfect.

By the time he reached the pulpit, ascended the spiraled stairs and turned to face his audience, he had almost forgotten exactly how many people had answered his call. The first twenty-five rows of pews were filled on both sides of the aisles, legends and commoners alike staring up at him expectantly. In the first row alone Ben could see the Fitzherberts, Princess Ariel and Prince Eric, Mulan and Li Shang, Queen Elsa and her advisor Lady Ignis of Agrabah. Royalty that Ben had known his entire life, pleasant faces at parties and dinners, yet strangers now as they knew the reason they had been summoned. Standing at the pulpit, the scent of the fragrant yellow rosewood filling his nostrils nearly two decades after its construction, Ben channeled as much confidence into his stature as he could.

His hands resolutely did not shake as he gripped the edge of the podium, thankfully hidden from his audience’s sight. Swallowing, Ben glanced up, his heart stuttering as he glimpsed his father in the crowd. Of course Adam would be here. The man was still a voting delegate for Auradon, after all. The sheer number of people in attendance was due to the weight placed on specific votes. The United Kingdoms were comprised of thirteen countries, each country allotted four voting delegates. As king, Ben was a delegate for Auradon, but since he was the one making the plea, he would not be allowed to give input, nor would his parents or Fairy Godmother in case of bias. Ben knew that they did not support him, not even the slightest, but it was a technicality that had to be respected. 48 people who would decide the fates of innocents they were meant to protect were gathered before him, the entourages that accompanied them, and with a hundred plus reporters that would be relaying his every move to whatever newspaper or journalist column they worked for.

His heart was thudding in his ears, but not because he was nervous. He refused to think of what would happen if he failed. He couldn’t picture Mal’s face, how her eyes would tighten with unsurprised disappointment. He couldn’t think of what Evie would say, always comforting others even when she was in pain. He couldn’t think of Carlos, who always wore his emotions so boldly, who would not be able to hide how deeply hurt he was. He couldn’t think of Jay, who had so many reasons to run from the Isle, so many reasons to want the kids still there to be free.

Standing straight, Ben schooled his face into a mask of civil calm. He opened his mouth, his voice confident and clear: “I will be quick and not make any grand introductions today. Most of you know why I have called this meeting to order. To those of you who don’t, I am here to propose that we bring every child under the age of 20 from the Isle of the Lost to Auradon.” As expected, a wave of uncomfortable murmuring and gasps swept across the crowd. Pens flashed across notebooks, recorders shook in people’s hands, mouths turned down in startled frowns.

“Now,” Ben continued, sweeping his gaze across the gathered rulers. Below, Adam’s eyes held a dark warning. Ben ignored him. “I understand that many of you will be quick to turn this down. But I implore you to hesitate and to listen. Recently, unbeknownst to all of you, I traveled to the Isle myself. What I saw there was shocking. For my entire life, I had been under the impression that the people on the Isle were learning to repent for their sins. I thought that what we sent them every month was enough to feed and clothe them. I had no idea how little we are actually doing to keep our citizens alive. People are still starving, still dressed in rags, living in conditions unsuitable even for the worst among us. Their homes are ramshackle and dilapidated, barely able to keep the elements out. But starvation is not the only hardship that people, including children, face. I want you all to imagine a young girl. She’s no older than fourteen, and she is small. Small enough to pass for much younger.” The crowd grumbled in dissent, Prince Philip’s stern eyebrows knitting together in the third row. Confused whispers drifted in the air and Ben waited for them to quiet.

“This girl lives with her grandmother and every day she works in the woman’s hair salon, inhaling bleach and chemicals that are slowly killing her, but she can’t stop, because the woman upstairs will do so much worse to her. She can’t stop, because she brings in money that keeps the local pirates happy. These pirates claim to keep away the riff-raff and the thieves, but if that girl does not make enough money to satisfy them, they find other ways to be satisfied. They use and abuse this girl. An _innocent_ girl. She did not ask to be born on the Isle. She did not ask to have the Lady Tremaine for a grandmother. Yet fate made it that way. And there are more like her. Villains may have once ruled with dark magic and hate, but their children did not. These children are fighting to survive every day. They don’t have parents looking out for them or adults in their lives that will provide for them. They can only rely on themselves and _maybe_ others like them.”

Ben took an uneven breath. “I saw babies starving, nothing more than flesh and bone. I saw their mothers, equally as malnourished. I saw pointless violence for mere table scraps. We took evil, soulless individuals and we imprisoned them on a rock so far removed from society that we, even as world leaders, don’t know what is going on there. And I am sorry, but if I had been responsible for the creation of the Isle, and I had even an inkling of an idea about what happened there, I would feel an artificial sense of accomplishment right now. Because we did not accomplish anything. The villains were sentenced to the Isle because they were terrorizing the United Kingdoms, killing and wreaking havoc against the citizens of this country; do you really think that putting them all in one place really made them change their ways? They fight over territory, over scraps of food, plot their rise to power! And they take their anger and their frustration out on their children, those forced to live with them, those who cannot escape. All of us here would gladly rally behind an abused child from Arendelle or from East Riding; the children on the Isle are no different. They _shouldn’t_ be considered different. They are only on the Isle by chance of birth. I know that despite my age many of you believe me incapable of running this country. I understand, as a mere child myself, that many of you would rather peer down your nose at me and scoff, as I’m just that; a mere child, no older than those I mean to liberate.”

Ben allowed disdain to creep into his voice. “But I ask today that you take my words as you might my father’s. As you might an adult. As an equal’s. What I witnessed on the Isle I would not wish on my worst enemy. I will not be delicate. I saw villains tormenting their own flesh and blood, forcing them to work meaningless tasks and run errands to no end if they wanted somewhere to sleep at night. Children forced out during the day to bring home trinkets, food, anything of value; they brave those on the Isle that so many of us would run from. They risk being caught by rapists and sadists so they aren’t tormented by the villain at home. And some of these children...if they failed or disappointed said parent, they could expect to be punished anyway, physically and sexually. I saw parents barter with strangers over their children’s time, to be used however that stranger wanted. They don’t care about their children’s wellbeing, as long as they make a profit.”

Ben let that sink in on the crowd, watching with weary satisfaction as more than one hero in the room began to shift uncomfortably. Snow White had tears in her eyes and was whispering furiously to Prince Henry, who appeared unsettled. A few people over from them, Prince Navine and the Lady Tiana were watching Ben with rapt attention, each bristling with anger, Tiana’s mouth a thin line. Ben hoped it was on his behalf.

He continued, “I saw teenagers my own age plotting war on the slim chances that they might gain a few more feet of territory, with the single intent of preventing their stomachs from aching with hunger. Children my own age forced to grow up before their time. Despite what those of you here think of the first group of villain’s kids that I brought to Auradon, they know better than anyone what it means to have survived the Isle. They lived there for fifteen, sixteen years. And there are dozens more like them.”

The church was dead silent, so quiet that if Ben were to close his eyes he might’ve thought it was empty. “Children are not meant to be scavengers or minions, to be bartered or sold. The children on the Isle have been neglected and forgotten, left behind by everyone in this room to be subjected to the whims of their parents. I truly believe that we can help these children by bringing them to Auradon. Many of you will refute me by saying that these children have only known violence and hatred; how could they ever learn to change their ways? Well, I ask you to remember a time not so long ago when my own father was a villain. He was a Beast, hateful and cruel to all he met. Yet, once returned to a man, once _shown a better way_ , he was elected leader of this country. Because of that, I have lived my entire life surrounded by luxury and love. I have wanted for nothing, never felt a hunger cramp so painful that I couldn’t walk. Never been threatened by the adults that have raised me with my own death or torture, never been subjected to an unwanted touch. We have all here lived amongst beautiful things that others rarely have, some of us born to it, some of us from humble beginnings. Yet we all have equal power to save dozens of lives. We are meant to be friends, guides, mentors, _protectors_ to those too weak to save themselves. We will _never_ be successful leaders of the new world unless we create opportunities for others. The citizens of this world may not agree with this decision, but we must not shy away in the face of criticism. After making a bold choice, people will question your actions. I ask you to go bravely down the path you choose. Face this decision boldly. Look in the mirror and be proud of who you see. I cannot stand idly by knowing that people are suffering. I cannot look in the mirror and be content with myself as a human being and as your king knowing that citizens under my rule are in danger. So please, I beg of you, to consider the decision of bringing over these children wisely.” After a moment of terrible silence, Ben remembered to whisper, “Thank you.”

Immediately, the reporters in the back of the church broke out into whispered conversations as Lumiere appeared from a side door beyond the monoliths. Ben descended from the pulpit, keeping his eyes on the stairs, feeling the weight of his father’s glare on his back. Lumiere ushered him towards the side door, whispering how proud he was of Ben. Nodding his thanks, Ben allowed himself to be led through the bowels of the church, the quartz and emerald walls reflecting the light in such a way that Ben would normally have stopped to admire. His mind was on the heroes in the church behind him. Had he convinced them? Would they listen even if he had? Didn’t they understand what they had done-

Ben was broken from his brooding by Lumiere’s surprised, “Your Majesty!”

Startled, Ben turned but felt the uneasiness leave his bones as he found that it was only his mother. Belle had followed them, it seemed. The green inlaid in the walls matched the color of her dress. “You did well out there,” she said softly, slim brows pulling together. “Your public speaking has come a long way.”

Ben was confused. They hadn’t spoken in weeks, mainly because of their disagreement over the exact thing Ben had just done. And now she was complimenting him? “No disrespect meant, but what exactly do you want, mother? Delegation time is only for an hour.”

Belle swallowed, twisting her hands in front of her, something Ben hadn’t seen her do in a very long time. His mother was always the definition of composed. With a start, he realized she was nervous. “Are you...are you alright?”

Belle laughed, choked and sudden. Slim brows drawn together, she exhaled shakily, "Oh, I just hadn’t-I hadn’t realized! I was only thinking of Gaston, of what he-“ She smiled sadly, shameful tears brimming in her eyes. “When you told me you wanted to bring _their_ children over, _more_ of them, I...I panicked. How could Gaston not have children? The man was an animal! I was only thinking of him and the monstrosity he became.” She approached Ben, who found that his throat was tight. His mother placed both hands on his shoulders, her grip strong as he remembered. “I was blinded by the past. Whatever Gaston was, no one deserves to live with that man. Even if he has mellowed over the years, I could not live with myself if I condemned you or one of your friends to live with him.“ Ben felt his own tears pressing against his eyes as wet tracks began to mark his mother’s face. “I’m proud of you Benjamin. What you’ve done today is remarkable. If no one out there can see it, then damn them all.”

Ben crushed himself against Belle, finally allowing himself to be close to her after so long. Her arms came up around him, her chin resting atop his head as Ben whispered, “Thank you. That means...that means everything.”

Behind them, Lumiere sniffled and said thickly, “Your Majesty’s, there isn't much time. We must be going.”

 

======

 

An hour later, Ben and Belle were back inside Eglise d Abelle, Ben clutching his mother’s hand so hard he felt bad. They were in the front row of the right side of the church, King Arthur, Queen Gwynevere, the wizard Merlin, and Prince Artie to Ben’s left. Queen Gwynevere would not meet Ben's eyes. Swallowing, Ben faced the pulpit and watched anxiously as Fairy Godmother climbed the stairs.

There was a hush over the room, reporters and delegates alike holding their breath.

For Ben, it felt like the world had stopped spinning and was waiting to resume. Every heartbeat that ticked by, every stroke of the second hand on his watch, the world titled a little more, desperately in need of correction before something awful happened.

Fairy Godmother reached the podium, an unopened envelope in her hands. She tore open the slim paper and removed the letter, Ben wanting to scream the whole time. FG scanned the letter once, her eyes flicking across the document. Her mouth set in a tight line. She looked up, pronouncing to the world:

“Those for, 23. Those against, 25. The motion fails. This meeting is adjourned.”

**Author's Note:**

> I know very little about Parliamentary Procedure and I know this does that absolutely no justice but please be kind I am but a high schooler from an underfunded rural public school. I've been working on this, particularly Ben's speech, since I finished 'Some Sign of Life'. I've got another piece for this universe that I'm already working on that I hope will interest people but I will only start releasing chapters of that once I have a solid plan for it. I have the base outline written, but it’s going to be a long one so actually writing it will be a process. Work will be slow on that, as life is life. Don't worry though, I’m writing these because they contain aspects that I would have loved to have seen in descendants. I think that the Disney channel movies were highly lacking, mostly due to it being Disney and not HBO or Netflix. So I hope people want to read this as much as I do. 
> 
> As always, i love feedback and criticism is welcome!
> 
> Always feel free to visit me on [tumblr](http://alloftheseships.tumblr.com)!
> 
> Revised: 6/30/19 (for grammatical errors and inconsistencies)


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